By Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Joseph Essama
Published on 2024-02-12 15:03:08
The President of the Republic spoke on Saturday night from his palace in Etoudi. In his traditional speech to the youth, which is given every February 10th, Paul Biya “deliberately avoided” certain topics that lend themselves to vulgarity and trivialities.
Unsurprisingly, some young people were disappointed by the speech delivered last Saturday by President Paul Biya, as a prelude to the 58th national youth day, which was celebrated yesterday on February 11th. For about twenty minutes, Paul Biya superficially addressed issues related to employment, education, socio-professional integration, as well as some of the scourges that undermine the proper functioning of society. Paul Biya once again showed a tendency towards vulgarity when he declared “We are the continent”, referring to an expression coined by internet users to signify the resilience shown by Cameroonians in the face of adversity.
The President also placed great importance on issues related to sports, citing Francis Ngannou as an example. While sports may interest many young Cameroonians, it remains a secondary topic compared to issues vital to the health of Cameroon.
Despite the optimism expressed by Paul Biya, his performance missed several crucial questions. According to his detractors, this speech was an “endless chatter, without vision, and especially without solutions to the problems of Cameroonians”, as affirmed by an internet user.
As an example, Paul Biya did not say a word about the security situation in Cameroon, even as kidnappings multiply in the Far North, and the major cities record daily cases of disappearances, assaults, and rapes, while the Northwest and Southwest regions are subject to daily deadly attacks. For instance, yesterday several people were victims of an attack in Nkambe in the Northwest region. Some sources mentioned 2 deaths and over 50 injuries.
The President also avoided addressing healthcare issues and the lack of patient care in hospitals. Despite promising Universal Health Coverage a few years ago, he remained silent on the matter. In the meantime, Cameroonians continue to die in hospitals due to a lack of resources and proper medical equipment.
The case of Herve Bopda, a 45-year-old man accused of rape, kidnapping, armed threats, and sodomy, did not receive any comment from Paul Biya, despite sparking indignation from the national and international communities.
In addition to these omissions, the issues of teachers, inflation, poor road conditions, lack of water and electricity, and the lack of support for small businesses were not addressed.
According to Alain Alima, a researcher at the Faculty of Political Science at the University of Yaoundé, “Paul Biya is making promises that are not kept.” He delivered a delusional speech that opens a new stage of social mistreatment and brings no solutions. Meanwhile, bills will increase, as will the cost of food, but salaries will not change. The die is cast,” he maintains.
Read the original article(French) on Mimi Mefo Info
